SE Falls Short in Rivalry Matchup

Box Score DURANT, Okla. – A rough night at the free throw line proved costly for Southeastern as the Savage Storm was tripped up by rival East Central 64-59 on Wednesday night in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 4-10 overall and 2-7 in Great American Conference play, while extending their losing skid to 10 games.
 
The teams were nearly identical on the evening, as each shot 39.6 percent from the field on matching 21-of-53 performances, and each team hit seven threes.
 
The difference came at the free throw line where ECU's 15-of-23 performance outdid a 10-of-22 mark for the Storm and proved to be the difference in a five point game.
 
Taylor Smaller led all scorers with 14 points on the strength of three three point buckets, while Urald King turned in a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
 
Anton Cook rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10, while Quinton Threadgill added eight and Darius Harris chipped in seven.
 
Harris also added a double-digit rebounding effort with 11 to go alongside King's 16 as the Storm held a 42-to-35 edge on the glass.
 
Smaller, King and Threadgill each dished out three assists.
 
The teams traded punches right out of the gate, but SE would eventually pull ahead and lead by as many as five points, the last of those times coming on an Anderson Fagundes layup with 3:40 to play in the half.
 
ECU would score eight-straight points to take the lead briefly before a Threadgill three with 37 second to play in the half set the halftime score at 33-33.
 
The second half continued to see the teams traded ties and lead changes, with SE taking the lead on a Threadgill bucket in transition to go up 51-50.
 
A pair of Tiger free throws would answer that and regain the lead for ECU.
 
SE would close the deficit to one point, but never regain the lead as ECU held on to hnd Southeastern a 64-59 loss.